Conference USA East Stars of the Class 

Charlotte
LB Michael Holmes, 6-4, 230 – The 49ers are getting several decent skill spot prospects, but it’s Holmes who should be the main man of the class with the hybrid ability as a tall, rangy player who can work at linebacker or pack on 15 pounds and become a decent defensive end. Kentucky and Boston College were in the mix, but he should be the jewel of a key class for a program moving up in the world. 

Florida Atlantic
S Rodrick Archer, 6-1, 203 – The team needs QB Daniel Parr to shine, and bruising running back/linebacker Kal-El Williams will be a factor, but Archer is the best recruit of the bunch with SEC skills and a slew of good options he blew off to become an Owl. He has good size, great range, and big hitting ability. Mississippi State, USF and UCF were on the radar, but he should soon be one of FAU’s top tacklers. 

Florida International
QB Christian Alexander, 6-3, 205 – The coaching staff got its quarterback early on in the process, and the wagon will be hitched to him over the next few seasons. CB Ocie Rose was an excellent pickup, and LB Ferman Silva will be a top stat guy, but Alexander has the size, smarts, and big arm to get Miami and South Florida interested. The tools are all there to develop into a franchise passer.

Marshall
RB Delvin Weems, 5-8, 158 – The linebackers are going to shine the brightest in the class, and S Reggie Rogers was a huge pickup out of Ohio, but the smallish, quick Weems could grow into the offensive weapon who eventually makes the biggest impact. He’s not built to be a workhorse in any way, but with his speed and skills, he should be a fun toy for the coaching staff to play with. 

Middle Tennessee
LB Myles Harges, 6-2, 200 – It’s a decent class for the defensive backfield, and a few interesting running backs are coming in, but the best prospect on the lot – by far – is the safety-sized Harges who should check in at around 220 pounds in a few years to be the big-play performer for the D. A potentially devastating pass rusher, he got a push from Cal, and a slew of Conference USA and Sun Belt schools, but he’s right for the Blue Raiders. 

Old Dominion
WR Quincy Watts, 5-11, 172 – The defense is getting the bulk of the stars, and with a little time, Miles Fox should be a great factor on the front line, but it’s Watts who should make the big splash and was the big coup for the Monarchs. Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Penn State and West Virginia were all in the conversation for the silky-smooth target who should eventually be a No. 1 target. He seems like the type of prospect who wants to make himself into a name at a relatively smaller school. 

WKU
TE Tyler Jefferson, 6-6, 230 – It’s a good, interesting class considering the coaching staff and the high-powered offense. Can Reese Ryan be the quarterback who can put up massive numbers? Will RB Marquez Trigg be the type of running back who can carry the load? Maybe, but Jefferson is the prospect with the biggest upside with prototype size and the skills who can thrive in the Hilltopper attack. He wasn’t wanted much by the Power 5 schools, but with his frame and catching radius, he should put up big numbers. 

Conference USA West Stars of the Class 

Louisiana Tech
QB J’Mar Smith, 6-2, 217 – Others are going to make a big impact – from S Johnny Shaw and OT O’Shea Dugas – but if Smith can be the dual-threat factor that Mississippi State and other Power 5 schools were interested in, all of a sudden, this class becomes all about him. He has the athleticism and skills to move around to another spot if needed, and he has the arm and talent to play baseball, but he’s a quarterback who should be in the mix in three years. 

North Texas
CB Ashton Preston, 5-11, 179 – QB Kevin Dillman is the big passer who’ll one day be the main man for the attack, and WR D’Aundrey Bradley is a big target with No. 1 upside, but Preston is the type of prospect who sometimes flies a bit under the radar and blossoms at a place like UNT. He has good size, nice speed, and was good enough to get several big schools interested, but not enough to get any real offers from anyone but Idaho. 

Rice
DT Carl Thompson, 6-3, 260 and/or DT Zach Abercrumbia, 6-3, 260 – QB Jackson Tyner is the type of big passer the program doesn’t normally get, but the stars of the class are on the defensive front with two very good, very quick defensive tackles in Ambercrumbia and Thompson with tremendous quickness and interior pass rushing ability. Give them a few years to bulk up, and then watch out. Abercrumbia was the more sought-after of the two with Kansas State, TCU and Stanford making a push, but they’re both excellent prospects. 

Southern Miss
DE Ricky Parks, 6-4, 260 – The Golden Eagles are loading up on the offensive line, and QB Gabe Green needs to be a factor at some point, but Parks is the biggest star of the show by far with LSU, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas all on the radar coming out of Coffeyville CC. The former Auburn tight end/fullback moved to the defensive side, and then it all came together with big-time pass rushing skills right out of the box. 

UTEP
DB Kalon Beverly, 6-2, 171 – It’s a recruiting class that sprays to all fields, and there isn’t much addressing the secondary, but Beverly is the standout of the lot by far. If he can add just a little more bulk and more muscle, he could have prototype safety skills, but he could also turn into a big boundary corner who could erase smallish and less physical receivers. Several Conference USA programs pushed for him, but UTEP landed its leader for the secondary. 

UTSA
QB Jaylon Henderson, 6-2, 205 – RB Jacolbie Butler might become the featured star of the offense at some point, and 6-2, 215-pound Manny Harris will be right there in the mix for the starting quarterback gig at some point, but Henderson is the one who looks like the one to run the Roadrunners at some point. Very, very quick and with a sharp, accurate arm, he can do a little of everything, but he might be seen more as a running option than a true dual-threat guy.